Farmer was settled beginning in 1887 and became the girlhood home of Mrs. Ima Smith, First Lady of Texas and wife of Governor Preston Smith. Its school district was created in 1893, and its early building was funded by gifts from friends, including residents of Amarillo and Colorado City. Religious faiths active in Farmer included the Methodists, organized about 1890, Baptists, organized in 1891, Presbyterians, Church of Christ, Seventh Day Adventists, and others. Community service and social life included the P.T.A., Singsong, baseball club, Forty-two Club, and Farmer Community Reunion.